By combining configurable network intelligence with dynamic mesh optimization algorithms, the SmartMesh manager securely, automatically and intelligently optimizes the network while enabling customers to easily customize and configure network attributes to suit their application requirements. The manager ensures that each transmission takes an acceptable path through the network, provides for programmable latency and deterministic network power consumption, and ensures that there are no network chokepoints.

To maximize reliability in the face of an ever-changing RF environment, the manager also provides the equivalent of an automatic site survey 24-hours-a-day, every day, and dynamically updates the network topology based on the health of each link in the network.

The ability to automatically change the network topology or bandwidth allocation in response to some triggering event can also be important to certain applications. For example, if a sensor detects that a motor is overheating, it may be time to prioritize the delivery of a lot more data from that motor or perhaps quickly tell the motor to shut down. The SmartMesh manager can effect such network-wide changes to an in-service network based on the application needs.

The manager also allows for over-the-air software upgrades to be delivered reliably and securely to all motes in the network.